1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to material dispensers and more particularly pertains to material dispensers which may be used to dispense cake icing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods of dispensing cake icing are well known and usually comprise putting icing into collapsible paper cones that may be squeezed by the operator to dispense the icing through the tip of the cone. This method and apparatus requires a great deal of fatiguing effort on the part of the operator to squeeze the cone, as well as to move the tip of the cone about the cake to produce the desired icing decorations. Furthermore, the cone structure may, on occasion, rupture and therefore render the device useless. Because of the deficiencies in this particular method and apparatus, other types of dispensers have been employed to dispense cake icing.
For example, a motorized apparatus for dispensing cake icing can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,251. This device utilizes an electric motor to squeeze a collapsible icing bag, thereby to dispense icing contained within the bag onto a cake.
Another icing gun system for decorating confectionery articles is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,838 which utilizes a pressurized reservoir and hose assembly to dispense cake icing.
Still another device of interest is a hand operated dispenser of icing for cakes that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,537. This invention dispenses icing through a cylinder and a plunger arrangement which is operated by a manual hand lever.
The aforementioned apparatuses and methods allow a user to dispense icing onto a cake but they do not provide for both the rapid changing of icing styles or colors as well as the accurate and precise dispensing of cake icing. Some of the above mentioned devices must be flushed out and thoroughly cleaned before a different style or different color of icing may be dispensed. Other devices utilized for icing cakes create strain upon an operators wrist and are difficult to control which results in an icing dispenser that precludes accurate and artistic placement of icing on a cake. Furthermore, some of the devices utilized for icing cakes produce a stream of material that is both nonuniform in size and that continues to flow briefly after the release of the trigger mechanism.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new viscous material dispenser which utilizes interchangeable icing cartridges for rapid and easy changing of icing styles and colors, a novel operator support to reduce the stress placed upon an operator's arm, and a dispenser system that will dispense cake icing in a controllable and artistic manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.